Exclusive: George North on setting target of winning 100 Wales caps and reflecting on his bad luck

George North winces as he lowers himself into a chair at a photographers’ studio in East London, instinctively glancing down at the brace on his left knee.

“Bloody annoying,” he says with a rueful grin.

As with most things North says, that is somewhat of an understatement. A fortnight ago it looked as if the Welshman was at last getting back to his best. He had put the ‘nightmare’ of the Lions tour behind him and was finally injury-free and scoring tries seemingly at will. Northampton had recovered from a woeful start thanks in large part to their giant wing and all negative thoughts of concussion, poor form and his future were dissipating.

Then North was tackled awkwardly during Northampton’s Champions Cup loss to Saracens. He initially told the medics that he was fine, only to collapse when he tried to walk. He had sprained his posterior cruciate ligament and was facing two months out – ruling him out of Wales’ autumn.

“It’s difficult, annoying, upsetting,” he says. “There is no good time to be injured but it came at the wrong time for me. I was going well, building nicely and then this happens.”

The injury is particularly cruel because if any man deserved to catch a break then it is the likeable 25-year-old. In the seven years since North burst onto the international scene as a raw, talented 18-year-old he has endured as many lows as highs. A talismanic performance on the 2013 Lions tour has been followed by crushing disappointments - most notably five concussions in two years. The Lions tour this summer, when he struggled for form before tearing his hamstring, was a mile away from his experience four years previously. North does not shy away from how tough it has been.

“There have been very testing times. I am sure you can pick them out,” he says. “In an ideal world you wouldn’t have to experience any injuries or downs but in sport they come with it. It challenges you in a different way that rugby doesn’t.

“It brings the best out of some boys. Myself, I find it gives me extra fuel to kick on again and gives me something else to focus on.

“The glass is half-full with me. Every dog has their day I guess, and every man has their down days.

“Last year was tough from a personal point of view, and a club point of view. Then the summer as well – the hamstring injury, it didn’t go particularly to plan [with the Lions]. Then the highs of getting back and now this has happened.

“I’m just very lucky that the support around me – Becky [James, the former Olympic cyclist and North’s girlfriend], my family, my team-mates – is very good.”

George North with his girlfriend and cyclist Becky JamesCredit:
Instagram

It has had to be. North describes himself as a positive individual – “positivity is huge, positivity is contagious” he grins – but the last 24 months would have tested anyone, particularly when their partner is going through similar issues.

James’ decision to retire aged 25 after last summer’s Olympics was a shock to many, but not to North. James admitted to struggling with mental health issues in an interview with The Telegraph last month and North is trying to erase the stigma around the issue. He is conducting this interview on behalf of Movember, where men grow moustaches for the month of November to raise awareness of men’s health issues such as prostate cancer and depression. It is a cause he cares deeply about.

“I didn’t need to read it as I’ve been with her every step of the way,” says North of James’ interview. “We are very fortunate we are very close as a couple. What she goes through I go through, and vice-versa. When we win we both win, when we lose we both lose. It wasn’t an easy decision for her. The easy thing is going back to what you know, but if you’re not 100 per cent committed it shows very quickly. Fair play to her for trying something new.”

George North feels there is a lot more rugby left in himCredit:
Geoff Pugh

For James that has meant starting her own cake business – North recommends the carrot – and the pair have launched their own coffee company out of the back of a 1962 Triumph Courier Van, with ambitions to open a shop.

Yet while North talks enthusiastically about coffee he really comes alive when the conversation returns to rugby, the sport in which he feels he can still achieve so much, particularly given how much he has experienced in just seven years.

“Even I forget my age sometimes,” he chuckles. “But I feel there is a lot more rugby left in me, some good rugby I hope. I feel fresh and I feel there is more to come.

“When you come onto the scene you are unknown. You have a bit of a free run because no one knows what you are doing or what you are capable of. Then, when you are found out you have a plateau, and then you find your feet again, grow in confidence and grow again.

“I have always set goals. It gives a real purpose to your training, a real edge. Why are you getting up when it’s dark and getting home when it’s dark? Why are you putting your body through this? It’s your why – why are you doing it? “My first why was always to try and play for Wales, and play at the Millennium Stadium. I was very fortunate to achieve that very young.

George North hopes to get to 100 caps for WalesCredit:
Getty Images

“Since then one of my big goals is to get 100 caps. I am on 69 now. If I never played for Wales again, which touch wood I will, I would be happy to retire on that. It’s a great achievement, I feel. But to reach that 100 cap bracket puts you in a group that in rugby is a big thing. One of my reasons why I do this is to hit that target.”

That might be easier to do so if North were playing his club rugby in Wales. With his contract at Saints up this summer the WRU would dearly love to have him back, although North is giving little away. ”There’s always a lot of talk, isn’t there,” he says. “For me at the moment it is about trying to get out of this brace, rehab and get back playing.”

Until then he is on “handshakes and high fives” duty on matchdays, greeting supporters at either Franklin’s Gardens or the Principality Stadium. He believes Wales will do well – “we are capable of more than people think” – but until he returns his focus is on staying positive.

“Some days it feels great, other days it feels pretty rubbish.,” he says. “But if you are bouncing with energy and the next man is bouncing with energy then hopefully it will spread. I think with energy and positivity you can do pretty much anything you want to do.”

George North was speaking as part of his work supporting Movember, with Gillette. The aim of Movember is to Stop Men Dying Too young, one Mo at a time. Click here to support George North's fundraising for Movember and for inspiration on how to style your mo, visit the Gillette website